The present invention relates generally to a retail system, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for operating a self-service checkout terminal and a remote supervisor terminal of a retail system.
In the retail industry, the largest expenditures are typically the cost of the goods sold followed closely by the cost of labor expended. With particular regard to the retail grocery or supermarket industry, the impetus to reduce labor costs has focused on reducing or eliminating the amount of time required to handle and/or process the items or goods to be purchased by a customer. To this end, there have been a number of self-service checkout terminal concepts developed which attempt to substantially eliminate the need for a checkout clerk.
A self-service checkout terminal is a system which is operated by a customer without the aid of a checkout clerk. In such a system, the customer scans individual items for purchase across a scanner and then places the scanned item into a grocery bag, if desired. The customer then pays for his or her purchase either at the self-service checkout terminal if so equipped, or at a central payment area such as a remote supervisor terminal or payment terminal which is staffed by a store employee. Thus, a self-service checkout terminal permits a customer to select, itemize, and in some cases pay for his or her items for purchase without the assistance of the retailer""s personnel.
However, in certain circumstances it is necessary for retail personnel to intervene in order to complete the customer""s transaction during operation of the self-service checkout terminal. Such intervention is typically performed by the store employee (e.g. a retail clerk) that is operating the remote supervisor terminal. Examples of situations which require intervention by the store employee operating the remote supervisor terminal include (1) collection of coupons, (2) acceptance of tendered checks, (3) handling of credit card verification exceptions, and (4) itemization (i.e. entry) of items that the customer is unable to scan or otherwise enter.
In order to provide for such intervention, the customer""s transaction may be halted at the self-service checkout terminal thereby allowing the customer to complete his or her transaction at the remote supervisor terminal. In particular, operation of the self-service checkout terminal is halted thereby allowing the customer to take his or her items for purchase the remote supervisor terminal where the store employee operating the remote supervisor terminal assists the customer in the completion of his or her transaction.
Such operation of a retail system has a number of drawbacks associated therewith. For example, once the customer""s transaction has been halted at the self-service checkout terminal, the customer may intentionally or inadvertently exit the retailer""s store without tendering payment for his or her items for purchase. Moreover, a relatively long queue of customers may form at the remote supervisor terminal thereby causing the store employee operating the remote supervisor terminal to undesirably experience difficulty in matching each of the customers present in the queue with their respective unfinished checkout transactions.
What is needed therefore is a retail system which overcomes one or more of the above-mentioned drawbacks. What is particularly needed is a method and apparatus for operating a retail system which reduces the number of occasions in which a customer intentionally or accidentally exits the store without tendering payment for his or her items for purchase. What is also needed is a method and apparatus for operating a retail system which allows the store employee operating the remote supervisor terminal to quickly and accurately complete the respective checkout transaction associated with each customer which requires intervention.
In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a retail system which includes (i) a self-service checkout terminal, and (ii) a remote supervisor terminal. The method includes the step of generating an intervention-needed control signal with the self-service checkout terminal if a user of the self-service checkout terminal requests intervention from retail personnel operating the remote supervisor terminal during a checkout transaction. The method also includes the step of transmitting the intervention-needed control signal to the remote supervisor terminal. The method further includes the step of generating a request-acknowledged control signal with the remote supervisor terminal in response to receipt of the intervention-needed control signal. Moreover, the method includes the step of suspending the checkout transaction of the user in response to generation of the request-acknowledged control signal.
In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a self-service retail system. The retail system includes a self-service checkout terminal for allowing a user to checkout items for purchase during a checkout transaction. The retail system also includes a remote supervisor terminal electrically coupled to the self-service checkout terminal. The self-service checkout terminal is configured to (a) generate an intervention-needed control signal if the user requests intervention from retail personnel operating the remote supervisor terminal during the checkout transaction, and (b) transmit the intervention-needed control signal to the remote supervisor terminal. The remote supervisor terminal is configured to (a) generate a request-acknowledged control signal in response to receipt of the intervention-needed control signal, and (b) cause the checkout transaction of the user to be suspended in response to generation of the request-acknowledged control signal.
In accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a retail system which includes a self-service checkout terminal and a remote supervisor terminal. The method includes the step of generating an intervention-needed control signal with the self-service checkout terminal if a user of the self-service checkout terminal inputs a first code in a first input device associated with the self-service checkout terminal which indicates that the user requests intervention from retail personnel operating the remote supervisor terminal during a checkout transaction. The method also includes the step of transmitting the intervention-needed control signal to the remote supervisor terminal. The method further includes the step of generating a first message which informs the retail personnel operating the remote supervisor terminal that the user of the self-service checkout terminal requests intervention in response to receipt of the intervention-needed control signal. Moreover, the method includes the step of generating a request-acknowledged control signal with the remote supervisor terminal if the retail personnel operating the remote supervisor terminal inputs a second code in a second input device associated with the remote supervisor terminal which indicates that the retail personnel desires for the user to complete the checkout transaction of the user at the remote supervisor terminal. Yet further, the method includes the step of suspending the checkout transaction of the user in response to generation of the request-acknowledged control signal.
In accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a retail system which includes (i) a self-service checkout terminal, and (ii) a remote supervisor terminal. The method includes the step of generating an intervention-needed control signal with the self-service checkout terminal if a user of the self-service checkout terminal requires intervention from retail personnel operating the remote supervisor terminal during a checkout transaction. The method also includes the step of transmitting the intervention-needed control signal to the remote supervisor terminal. The method further includes the step of generating a request-acknowledged control signal with the remote supervisor terminal in response to receipt of the intervention-needed control signal. Moreover, the method includes the step of suspending the checkout transaction of the user in response to generation of the request-acknowledged control signal.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful method and apparatus of operating a self-service retail system.
It is moreover an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for operating a self-service retail system.
It is yet further an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for operating a retail system which reduces the number of occasions in which a customer intentionally or inadvertently exits the store without paying for his or her items for purchase.
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for operating a retail system which allows the store employee operating the remote supervisor terminal to quickly and accurately complete the respective checkout transaction associated with each customer which requires intervention.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the attached drawings.